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I think I might be one of the “Geeks” they mention in the video… Whenever I see there is a video related to languages or words history I cannot resist to watch it 😀 I consider myself a History Geek and I am proud of it! After teaching English I would have liked to become a History and Geography teacher 🙂

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Your students probably love using materials they know you have created for them. One of the most popular games I have created for mine is the worldwide known memory game in its online version. It is a very simple game with very simple rules that everybody loves playing.

When I create my online memory games I use the same images I have previously used for the vocabulary flashcards. The more familiar it is for them the better! I make these games for different ages and they all enjoy it the same way.

The tool I use for creating the games is called matchthememory.comand it works perfectly fine in all type of devices. Sometimes we play them all together in class using the class projector and some other times I share them online so they can play at home using the tablet or phone.

Here you have the games I createdso far:

You can create all sorts of memory games: image-image, image-word and word-word. You can also costumise the cards by choosing different fonts and differents backgrounds.

I hope you and your students enjoy it as much as me and my students do 🙂

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Teaching very young children can be either the best experience in the world or the worst, it all depends on you and what your expectations as their teacher are.

I have to admit that when I started teaching ESL to 3-5 year old children I was only 21 years old and I had no experience with them at all. Not just as a teacher but neither in my personal life. I did not have any young siblings or cousins and I had never worked as a babysitter during my teen years.

However, I found out it was easy for me to connect with them and they seemed to like me and enjoy my company. I am aware I was very lucky because it could have been a desastre due to my lack of experience with very young learners. I always say to myself this is a gift given to me and I am very grateful for that.

During my first years teaching I learned a lot from my experienced workmates and from my pupils. This is why I would like to share with those teaching ESL/EFL to very young learners for the first time some of tips so you avoid frustration thinking you are not a good teacher.

TIPS FOR ESL/EFL TEACHERS DEALING WITH VERY YOUNG LEARNERS FOR THE FIRST TIME:

For many of them it may be the first time they hear a person speaking in English. Do not take it personal if they ignore you at first.

Some pupils may not be keen on joining you when you suggest activities and that is ok. Whenever they feel ready they will join you.

Using soft toys or puppets as your “teacher helper” will be very useful because they can relate to them.

Praise them as much as you can, even if it is for very little things they have achieved (e.g. understanding commands, listening to a story, dancing to a song, …)

Little children love having classroom routines, it makes them feel secure. Therefore, it is important you always start and finish the lesson the same way. (e.g singing a Hello Song and a Goodbye Song, greeting each other, speaking about the weather, counting how many we are in the class, …)

When your pupils are able to follow the classroom routines without you having to say anything, it already means a lot!

Do not expect them to express themseleves in English, they will probably use their mother tongue and that is ok. Little by little they will add English words and short sentences in their vocabulary.

The more movement activities you add into your lesson plans the better. In general, pupils spend many hours in class sitting down and they will appreciate the chance to move around.

Storytelling is essential and I have not met a single child who does not like listening to stories. It is magic to see how they are able to follow sequences of events and get the general picture of what is going on (having visual support is basic).

Little children love partying, this is a good excuse to help them learn a little bit about the English culture through celebrating some festivities as part of the lesson plan.

I remember panicking the previous days to my first teaching experience, so I hope to be helping some fellow teachers who feel as lost as I was. We have a lovely profession but it can be very taugh, too. Therefore, I try to help as much as I can sharing my knowledge and experience 🙂

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If you like watching sports, you’d be surprised at how much English you can learn through watching it on TV! Sports are also a frequent conversation topic, so if you learn some common vocabulary, you can practice your English with co-works after the big game.

Watch a sport you like. If you really like watching football (or soccer), then don’t bother watching another sport to pick up on English. You’ll learn best if you’re watching something you truly enjoy. Learning English should be fun! It shouldn’t always feel like a chore. It would also help to watch a sport you’re already familiar with so you’ll understand the “body language” and apply the terms to the proper context.

Watch as often as you can. Even if you can only watch 10 minutes a day, or watch the highlights on the news, it will improve your English! Even if you only watch…